Oblivion Seeker
by PantsuGod
Summary: In a fantasy world where slavery is normal, many have fallen in the hands of slave traders. Lucius, a halfling born from two races, was the victim of such slavery, and was treated with disgust and hate... This is his story. In a world with Magic, Swords, and Levels, what will be his fate? What awaits him? Only he gets to decide!
1. Chapter 1 - The Life of a Slave

**Oblivion Seeker**

The Kingdom of Eastvein, one of the few places in the world of Grimshire where various races co-exist, but that was only a facade for outsiders…

The Presence of different races, like Beastkins, Vampirekins, Demonkins, Humankins and many more, gave birth to a hierarchical system, where the rulers of the country – Which were the humans – started discriminating other species, labeling them as "disgusting". It kept escalating till a certain revolution broke out, but they were soon overwhelmed by the King's army. The strong was able to escape, while the nobles took advantage of the situation and started turning the weak into slaves, where the attractive ones were sold to the rich, and the rest were used for labor, or worse…

Lucius Ashbridge, a 12 year old Halfling, who was the child of a demon and a human, was one of the victims of slavery, and was the target of discrimination of both races, for he was a "Forbidden Child", since the only way a Halfling could be born was by the sacrifice of the host, which was the mother… And this is his story.

It was a rainy night, one where only one of the three moons could be seen; I could hear the rain drops hitting on the window, trying to break in, the floor cracking, the glass shaking, and even the voices of nearby guards on watch; All while lying on my bed, which was one of the dozens of bunk beds in the room. We were all slaves, bought by Fergus Ravenswood, the head of a noble family, who was attending a certain banquet held by the king. He used us for labor work in his gold mines for 14 hours a day, and would always be seen with raw meat in his hands, which were covered with leather gloves. He was tall and round, wore a blue silk vest with a turtle neck collar, and always treated us badly, hitting us with a whip but never with his hands because we would contaminate him with our "Filthiness".

I never thought of escaping, since I could never survive in the outside world, be it for the lack of food and shelter, or discrimination from others. So I was quite satisfied with my current life, even though it was unfair.

I slightly whispered, so that my voice would not be heard in the echo of the room:

"Status Window"

* * *

 **Lucius Ashbridge**

 **Job:** _None_

 **Level:** 1

 **Status Points:** 0

HP: 30

ATK: 4

AGI: 20

MP: 12

DEF: 6

 **Weapons:**

 _None_

 **Equipment:**

Slavery Choker:

 _Embodied with Slavery Magic, allows the owner to give orders that could not be opposed by the user, if tried; a lightning bolt will generate from the choker, shocking the user._  
 _Restrains the user from doing anything that could harm his owner._

Worn Out Clothes:

 _Clothes wore mainly by slaves. Do not contain any material other than leather._

 **Skills:**

Forbidden Child

Appraisal (Beginner):

 _Allows the user to get limited information on a person/object by simply saying "Appraisal"._

* * *

I sighted a little at the sight of my miserable stats, but as a kid who never won a fight, I guess that's kind of expected. So I closed my Status Window.

Suddenly, I hear a certain person whisper…

"Psst-"

I slightly lift my head and looked left and right, but couldn't see anyone awake… It must have been my imagination.

"Psst kid! Can't you hear me?"

And then a random dark figure pops up from above me, and was looking down on me. Long hair which was unmistakably white, and ruby eyes that could be seen even in pitch darkness, she's a vampirekin, and about my age at that... It's so rare seeing a member of the strong races being enslaved.

"You sure move a lot kid; do you know how hard it is to be the one sleeping on the top? Every single movement is an earthquake to me!"

Flustered, I answered:

"I'm so sorry I didn't realize… Please forgive me."

As a kid who was considered an abomination in others' eyes, apologizing became a natural aspect of my life.

"Oh, well aren't you a polite one! Well don't worry, I couldn't sleep anyways… We've never talked before have we? What's your name?"

"Luci-… My Name's Ash."

"Ash huh… Well that's a weird name; it's nice to meet you though! I'm Sera!"

"S-Sera... It's nice to meet you too."

"We better get some sleep now, tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day at the mines. Goodnight!"

Her figure disappeared in the darkness of the night, I felt a small shake, she's probably changing her sleeping position, which made the wood creak as if going to break.

And then Again... Complete silence, so I closed my eyes, and fell into deep, deep sleep.

 _It's Cold..._

 _It's Dark..._

 _Help... Me!_

Will my life really stay this way?

I heard the birds sing, and horses trot. It was morning, I opened my eyes and saw the lit up room, most of us were still sleeping, only a few woke up, be it from having nightmares, or not being able to sleep at all.

We heard footsteps, lots of them... It was the guards!

The door opened abruptly, and they started waking us up by shouting, as slaves, we weren't even considered people anymore, and so naturally we would be treated badly.

"Come on! Wake up you brats, it's time to work!"

We became used to getting up early, so most of us got up and started walking quickly towards the door, but unfortunately, those who were still sleeping or were a bit late in waking up, were kicked by the guards and pushed till they reached the door.

I was standing, waiting for the order to go out, when someone suddenly smacks me in the back of my head. It was Tristan, the older kid in our group, and one of the physically strongest. He got along with the guards but was still treated badly, not as bad as us though. He acted like the leader of the pack, ordered everyone around, and picked fights with whoever looked at him.

"Ewww, I just touched the halfling! I'll get cursed now!" He said with a smirky look on his face.

I heard laughter from every direction, and wherever I look, I see expressions of disgust. So as I normally do, I stayed calm and looked down at the ground, I was an abomination, so such a treatment was normal.

And while he was getting ready to hit me again, a sudden person shouted:

"Just because you're the eldest doesn't mean you own this place"

So I looked back, it was Sera!

Annoyed, Tristan answered:

"Well look who it is, the fallen vampire! Since when did you start to meddle in measly fights, Ojou-sama?"

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them again. Tristan took a step back and his expression changed... He was scared.

Neither the guards nor the other kids reacted; it's as if only I could sense Sera's killing intent...

We were then ordered to walk out the door, towards the mines.

We formed a line and started walking quickly so that we don't get hit; Sera came close to me and whispered:

"Are you alright?"

"Yes... Thank you very much for helping me." I answered.

We arrived at the mines, and quickly started working, looking for various ores.

Naturally, I was alone while most of the others formed groups. Sera was nowhere to be seen.

The cave we were in was unexplored, there were tunnels left and right that no one had ever gone into.

And suddenly, the light of the lanterns which was shining on me suddenly vanished, I looked back, it was Tristan. He pushed me down.

"Your Hero isn't here to save you this time is she? Hahahaha."

And so he started hitting me, taking out his anger. Apparently, the guards had a "little talk" with him... I could see the bruises on his face from being hit.

 _One..._

 _Two..._

 _Three..._

Some were laughing, others slightly looked, and some were minding their business. I wasn't expecting anyone to save me, since that's the way it has always been.

So I closed my eyes and waited till he calmed down, but he kept hitting.

Suddenly, the punches stopped... So I opened my eyes and saw blood on my clothes... It wasn't mine.

I glimpsed at Tristan and saw... He was struck in his chest with a rusted sword and then fell on the ground: _He was Dead._

So I looked up again, there were goblins, green-skinned muscular goblins...


	2. Chapter 2 - The Bloody Battle

_"Monster", "Abomination", "Freak", "Cursed Child", "Mutant"..._

I was called by many names, but none of them was my own. I always held it in, always shut my emotions deep inside, thinking that it would be alright in the end, that I would be relieved of all my suffering.

But facing death face to face made me realize... _No More._

No one is coming to my aid, no one cares about me... I'm all alone.

But I won't hold it in any longer. In this despicable world, only the strong survives, so I'll be one of the survivors, no matter the cost: _I. Will. Survive._

I suddenly came back to my senses, realized that staying still was dangerous. Nothing could be done for Tristan, he was weak, that's all.

And so I ran as fast as I could, avoiding others which were in a severe state of panic. I couldn't afford helping anyone, especially not the people who were always hurting me.

Goblins kept entering from the tunnels, some of the guards tried holding them off, others ran to call for reinforcements. But being all bark and no bite, they could barely hurt the goblins, who were considered one of the weakest monster species individually, but dangerous as a pack.

There was blood everywhere, on the ground, on the cave walls... Everywhere. How many had died? I had no time to check for answers.

Some goblins were injured, but not dead. The guards were able to fend them off but couldn't finish them, and so I decided.

While slightly looking at one, I whispered: _**"Appraisal"**_

* * *

 **Goblin**

 **Danger Level:** _Individual: D- Group: B_

 **Description:** _One of the weakest monsters; usually lives with its group; is weak indiviually but could pose a threat as a group._

 _It Attacks mostly villages in order to capture women and kill men._

 _If cornered, it will attack with a vicious strike even if it means giving its own life away._

* * *

I picked up one of the dead goblins' weapon, a small curved sword made from rusted metal, but it was good enough for the job. I was surprised at how calm I was.

I approached one of them, they were hideous creatures, rumored to have kidnapped human women for breeding purposes, only to kill them after some time. Even though the Adventurers' guild would take care of them, most villages were still in danger.

They were large, not as large as an adult. They were fast, and strong, but didn't have any techniques, only knew how to wave their weapon savagely.

It was lying painfully on the ground, trying its best to get up, but its legs were slashes by one of the guards. It tried grabbing me but could not reach, nor had the strength to do so. And so, without a moment of hesitation, I held the sword high while pointing it to its chest, and plunged it in. Blood splashed everywhere, even though they were monsters, their biology was still close to that of a human.

It shaked intensively, violently, trying to pull the sword out of its lungs, but failed. After a few painful moment, it stopped moving, and foam came out of its mouth. _It was dead._

Suddenly I felt a warm sensation all over my body, it was very calming.

My Status Window opened.

* * *

 **Lucius Ashbridge**

 **Job:** _None_

 **Level:** 3

 **Status Points:** 6

HP: 30

ATK: 4

AGI: 20

MP: 12

DEF: 6

 **Weapons:**

Rusted Blade

 **Equipment:**

Slavery Choker:

 _Embodied with Slavery Magic, allows the owner to give orders that could not be opposed by the user, if tried; a lightning bolt will generate from the choker, shocking the user._  
 _Restrains the user from doing anything that could harm his owner._

Worn Out Clothes:

 _Clothes wore mainly by slaves. Do not contain any material other than leather._

 **Skills:**

Forbidden Child

Appraisal (Beginner):

 _Allows the user to get limited information on a person/object by simply saying "Appraisal"._

* * *

Finally, for the first time in my life, I had leveled up. But it was not over yet, so I pulled out the weapon and went to the second. This one had struggeled a bit more, but it wasn't anything a child couldn't handle.

With all the panicking, no one could seen me, and the guards kept fighting goblins, making them weak enough for me to finish them off.

People were pushing each others, violently trying to break out of the crowd, the exit was quite tight, since it had only recently been dug.

After finishing most of the goblins off, I sat down in place and turns out I became level 6, forget killing goblins, it was my first time even wielding a sword, my hands were roughed up, full of bruises from my poorly-made weapon.

I was full of Adrenaline so I didn't feel any pain, even though I was calm, killing my first monster, ending a life, was still quite a shock, so my heart was beating quickly.

One of the guards saw me, and shouted.

"YOU! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? HURRY AND RUN! IT'S DANGE-"

The moment he looked away, another goblin came running to help its comrade, surprised, I tried warning him.

"S-Sir! Watch out! Behind you!"

But I was too late, it had pierced its blade through the guard's chest, and quickly pulled out, only to slash him again. It kept slashing and slashing even though he was already dead, as if trying to avenge its dead comrades.

After viciously cutting the guard to pieces, it took a deep breath, and then looked at me. Even I, an inexperienced fighter could feel its blood lust, its anger, its desire to kill me.

They came running at me while waving their weapons... Is this it? Will I finally be put out of my misery? Of this life?

And so I calmly stayed still, as if trying to embrace death itself. But a mysterious figure suddenly came out, and dashed towards the goblins, only to slay them swiftly, whereas not even blood stuck on the blade, his movements were light, as if reinforced with wind magic.

This figure... This snow-white hair, It was Sera!

"Are you trying to get yourself killed stupid Luci? And here I thought I finally made a friend! I'll never let you die in a place like this."

She picked me up, as a vampirekin, she had supernatural physical powers, so carrying me in her arms was an easy feat. She started running towards the tunnels where the goblins had came in.

With the strength I had left in this fragile body of mine, I whispered.

"Don't go that way! That's where the goblins came in from!"

And so she answered.

"I knew you'd warn me, but don't worry, when we first reached the mine I took the liberty of wondering inside these tunnels, I found the actual exit too, but it never occured to me that there would be a goblin nest deep inside this maze-like cave."

I looked at the battlefield one more time, goblins were still coming in, but then I saw the guards carrying the one who tried helping me, trying to keep his body away from the carnivorous goblins, who would eat its prey's flesh after defeating it, as a sign of victory and domination...

We entered the tunnels, and as expected their was no light, only the sound of the fight which kept getting further and further away, and was replaced by the sound of Sera's shoes while running... It was dark.

 _It's my fault..._

 _It's all my fault..._

 _Anyone who tries to help me will always die, I'm a cursed child after all..._

 _Damn it! DAMN IT ALL!_

 _Why does it always end like this?_

 _Curse this world, curse these monsters, curse them ALL!_

 **[Overlord Job Acquired]**


	3. Chapter 3 - Ouranos Forest

I woke up to the sound of the cracking wood, the warm campfire on my right. I looked up, the lights blazed in the silent sky. They moved in great swaying bands of colour like a living organism. They resemble the swirl of a rose that had begun to open, sometimes it was a calm lake, and sometimes it was a great river. The colours were utterly brilliant and pure. The vibrant shades were in perpetual motion, dancing, flowing, changing shades. It was an Aurora.

Such a beautiful scenery made me wonder: Do I really want to spend my life in hiding? Will I really do nothing but curse my fate? Wrong. I decide what path I want to take, and none other than myself can change that. That's why I have to become strong. Strong enough to protect Sera.

I sat up, looked around, and then saw her. She was sitting on a tree branch, looking up at the clear night sky, one where all three moon were up. The moonlight splashed down its watery white-silver glow onto her ruby eyes, bathing them, illuminating them. And in the distance the trees were silhouetted against the deep velvety sky. Her snow-white hair calmly being pushed back by the breeze, she was beautiful.

She then looked at me, smiled, and said:

"You sure slept well for someone being carried on a girl's back didn't you. It was your first fight after all, so being exhausted is a given. So don't worry about it."

 _I want to protect her..._

I swore at that time that I would let go of my past, weak and detestable self. So I took a deep breath, and answered with a calm voice.

"Suddenly being thrown in the middle of a battlefield... Anyone would be exhausted from that. Thank you for saving me Sera. So anyways, where are we?"

"In Ouranos Forest, I had to camp here for the night in order to hunt."

"Wait, but isn't Ouranos Fore-"

"The Forbiddden Forest, yes. But the only reason it was called that is because there's a Daywalker village in the middle, so we needed some way to keep humans away from here."

We? Now that I think about it, it was clearly still day when we got out of the mine... Legendary vampires who are unaffected by sunlight, Daywalkers. So Sera was part of such a legendary race?

And so I asked.

"Why are we here?"

"Ash, I'm taking you to my village."

"And why is that?"

"You're a halfling aren't you? And a demon one at that. You're a legendary existence. Excluding you, there are only 7 other demon halflings, each strong enough to destroy the world."

"And you're planning on bringing me to your side."

She chuckles.

"You're a sharp one aren't you? You must've realized it after that fight... That surviving in this world is something only the strong can do."

I clench my fists, muster up the courage, and ask her out loud.

"Sera, I would like you to train me. I-I want to become stronger! Strong enough to be able to decide my own destiny."

"I was waiting for that request, Ash. You sure took your time! Now get up, and show me what you've got!"

"W-Wait, right now?!"

She stood up on the branch, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared. She was so fast that the branch she was standing on broke, and by the time it hit the floor, she was already right in front of me.

A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout my body. My stomach ached, my arms lost tension and my legs began to weaken.

"Huh... So you bit your tongue to keep yourself from going down. Interesting!"

My tongue was soaked in the taste of blood, I looked up at Sera with a smile on my face. I clench my left fist, preparing myself to attack.

She won't dodge, she'll definitely block and counter.

The moment she put up her arms in order to stop it, I swiftly threw my right fist. It was a feint, that was the only way I could win against a faster opponent. But again, my movements were far too slow, she ducked in order to avoid my punch... It was also a feint. The moment she ducks will be my only opening, and so I went in for the kick.

The satisfaction only lasted for a moment, turns out she took the blow but grabbed my leg in return.

"Nice one Ash, but you're still too naive. When it comes to fighting, there's no honour, no code. All that matters is the win, and we take nothing for granted."

I can't afford to let her tackle me. Using my other leg, I tried to go for a lock, the one Tristan always does. It was effective, but not strong enough.

She grabbed my right food, and so I was able to free my left, so I went in for another kick.

I can't let her take a step back, this is the only way I could win right here, right now.

She blocked it again, and with her vampiric strength, she threw me easily towards the tree.

I was full of bruises, blood was dripping from my mouth.

Sera smiled at me and sat down near the campfire, it was her way of saying good job.

The wind was roaring in the great bare trees of the forest, as if it were some wild dark grove deep in a forgotten land.

"You have potential." She says.

I knew at that moment that no reply was needed. The night was still young, and I should catch some proper sleep while I still can.

And so, in the silence of the night, I whispered:

"Status Window"

* * *

 **Lucius Ashbridge**

 **Job:** Overlord

 **Level:** 7

 **Status Points:** 14

HP: 60

ATK: 18

AGI: 37

MP: 15

DEF: 13

 **Weapons:**

 _None_

 **Equipment:**

Slavery Choker:

 _Embodied with Slavery Magic, allows the owner to give orders that could not be opposed by the user, if tried; a lightning bolt will generate from the choker, shocking the user._  
 _Restrains the user from doing anything that could harm his owner._

Worn Out Clothes:

 _Clothes wore mainly by slaves. Do not contain any material other than leather._

 **Skills:**

Forbidden Child

Appraisal (Beginner):

 _Allows the user to get limited information on a person/object by simply saying "Appraisal"._

* * *

I then realized... The Slavery Choker was still active. If the Master were to order it, the Choker which is enchanted with fire magic, will then explode.

But without even looking at me, Sera calmly says:

"Don't worry, we can easily remove those at my village."

And so we slept under the Aurora sky, and for the first time, I felt peace.

 _My adventure begins here._


End file.
